Therapeutic electrical exerciser



THERAPEUTIC :ELECTRICAL EXERCISER l James'EJMan'gas, ColoradoSprings, Colo.

vApplication October. 18, 1955,4SeriaLNo. 541,177

'1 Claim. (Cl. 12S-25) This `invention relates to Atherapeutic YAexercising f devices andmachines where .parts of the body are exercised by mechanical means to simulate natural movements, vsuch as walking and the like, `and Yin particular an -exerciser having Iarseat slidably mounted on -a'base with treadles positioned in front .of the seat .and ractuated to `imitate walking, and having hand rails at the sides of the'treadles to facilitate standing whileexercising 4the legs.

The/purpose of this invention `istoy provide a mechanicaly execiser particularly adapted'for exercising the lower limbs and hips of a `patient'whereby the device is particularly useful in treating paralysis.

Various types of mechanical deviceshave been provided for-,exercising arms, legs, Aand `other `parts .of 'the body-*and althoughssuch devices exercisethe muscles and joints `they arenotparticularly yadapted to move .parts Aof apatient to i simulate lnatural movements yand although Athe members of `thebody maybe thoroughly vexercised'with these `devices something vmore is lrequired before ithe patient walks alone. With this thought in kmind this invention contemplatesfa mechanical exercser `having foot treadles slidably `mounted in tracks Ain a block and actuated .by eccentric portions of a crankshaft `with the treadles positioned to be used inicombination with a seat and hand rails whereby the legs and hips of apatient may be exercised in both sitting vand 'standing positions, and also at all points rbetweensitting and `.standing positions.

`The object of this invention lis, therefore, to. provide me-ans for Yforming a mechanical exerciser thatgraduall-y builds a patient up to such a condition that he may walk by himself.

Another object of the invention is to provi-de a device for exercising the lower limbs and hips of a patient having paralysis, stiff joints, and the like, whereby a patient having been bedridden for a considerable length of time may become accustomed to the action of walking 'before supporting his own weight or attempting to walk alone.

Another important object of the invention is to provid-e means for compelling a patient to use his or her limbs in Walking motions.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a mechanical exerciser particularly adapted for exercising the leg and hip muscles and joints in which the feet are secured to treadles to prevent displacement or distortion of the legs when the operation is continued for long periods of time.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mechanical exerciser for exercising the muscles and joints of the limbs of a patient in which the parts are adjustable to a-ccommodate patients of all ages and of diierent sizes.

A still further object is to provide a mechanical exerciser for exercising the limbs of a patient in which the position of the patient is adapted to be changed from sitting to standing or to any intermediate position.

The exerciser of this invention is also adapted to encourage a patient to exercise his limbs or other parts of the body whenapatientffeels too `weak or-doesnothave the desireto exercise his limbs.

And va still further object of the inventionis toA provide a mechanical exerciserifor moving theflimbs of a patient, or other person to imitate the action of walking, in `which the device is adapted to be adjusted to diiierent sizes -and adapted to be used by persons of all ages, and in which the exerciser is of a simple and economical construction.

With these and .other objects and advantages in view the invention embodies a base mounted on casters to facilitatemoving `the exerciser from one; position to another, a seatslidably mounted onithe base, treadlesslidably Amounted Ain tracks in ablock on 'the base, a crankshaft `for actuating the treadles, guard rails extended across one endvof the base andalso positioned at the sides of the treadles, and a motor for actuating the crankshaft.

Other features vand advantages of the invention will appear from thet'ollowing description taken in connection with the drawings,=wherein:

Figure l is a plan view of the .improved `therapeutic exerciser.

-Figure2 4is a1longitudinal section through the exerciser taken `on line 2-.2 of Figure l.

While one lembodiment of the inventionislillustrated in the above-referred-to drawings, it is to be understood that they are `merelyior .theypurpose :of illustration, vand that'various changes in constructionmaybe resorted'toin the course` ofmanufacture inorder that thefinvention may be utilized to-the Jbest ladvantage according to circumstances which may arise, withoutrn any manner depart ing from the spirit and intention of the device, which is to be vlimited only in accordance with 'the appended claims. And while there is Astated the primary tield of utility of the invention, it remains vobviousthat"it may be employed in any other capacity wherein.` it .may be found applicable.

in the accompanying drawings and inthe following specication, .the same reference characters are used to designate the same parts and elements throughout, and in which the numeral 10 refersto `the invention in itsentirety, numeral 12 indicating abase or4 platform, numeral 14 a seat carried by a crossbar 16 .slidably mounted on spaced parallel rails 18 and '20, numerals 22and 24 treadles slidably mounted in inclined slots'26 an'clMZ'S, and

actuated by a crankshaftl), numerl'SZ a mot-or "for rotating the crankshaft, and numerals 34 and 36 posts mounted on the platform and to which side and end rails are connected.

The platform or base 12 is mount-ed on casters, with one caster 38 at the forward end and casters 40 and 42 at the rear whereby the exerciser may readily be moved from one position to another, and as shown in Figure 2, the casters are provided with rollers 44 and yokes 46. The yokes are pivotally mounted on the platform to facilitate turning the device so that it may readily be positioned at the side of a bed or the like.

The seat 14, which is provided with a back 48, is mounted with a swivel connection 50 on a post 52 extended upwardly from the cross bar 16, the seat being provided with a stud 54 that extends into the connection 5d, and the ends of the cross bar 16 are provided with sleeves 56 and 58 which are slidably mounted on the rails 18 and Ztl', respectively, whereby the seat is adapted to be adjusted longitudinally on the platform. The ends of the rails are mounted on the platform with sockets 6i).

The crankshaft 30 is rotatably mounted on the platform with bearings 62 and one end is provided with a pulley 64 that is aligned with a pulley 66 on the shaft of the motor 32 whereby the crankshaft is adapted to be driven by a belt 68 trained over the pulleys.. The treadles l PtentedMar. .11, 1958 are lconnected to olset sections of the crankshaft, the treadle 22 being yconnected to arms 70 and 72 with a pin 74 which extends through a rolled end 76 of the treadle and the treadle 24 being connected to arms 78 and 80 with a similar pin 82 which extends through a rolled end 84 of the treadle. Each of the arms 70 and 72, and 7b 'and 80 is provided with a plurality of spaced openings 86 in which the pins 74 and 82 may be positioned, thereby providing means for `adjusting the stroke or travel of the treadles.

The ends of the treadles opposite to the ends con nected to the crankshaft are provided with arcuate sections 88 and 90 that travel over rollers 92 in the slots 26 and 28 of the block 94, and the treadles are also provided with slots 96 and 98 in which shoes 100 and 102 are adjustably secured by bolts 104. The shoes are provided with heel receptacles 106 and toe straps or other foot retaining elements 108. The soles are slightly curved to stimulate the ankle joints as the exerciser is used.

The shoes are adjustable longitudinally on the treadles to correspond with the lengths of the legs of a patient, and the seat is also adjustable longitudinally on the platform, and with this combination of adjustments the device will meet all requirements.

The posts 34 and 36 are connected with end rails 110 and 112, and side rails 114 and 116 extend rearwardly from the post 34 with the ends connected by a vertical section 118, and similar side rails extend from the post 36, as indicated by the numerals 120 and 122, the extended ends of which are supported by a section 124.

A rheostat 126 may be positioned on the rail 114 to control the speed of the motor so that a patient may regulate the movements of the feet, if desired.

Operation The therapeutic exerciser of this invention provides a device that may readily be rolled from one bedside to another, so that it may be used by one patient after another, and with the seat mounted on a swivel joint, it may be turned through an angle of 180 degrees from the position shown in Figure 2, to facilitate placing a patient in the seat, and with the patient in the seat the seat is rotated so that the feet are positioned to be secured in the shoes on the treadles, and with the feet positioned in the shoes the motor is started. The device may be operated slowly at irst and the speed increased as the device is used, or from day to day, so that the muscles of a patient may be built up until they are accustomed to the natural speed of walking.

At rst, the patient will start using the exerciser with the patient in a sitting position, and by gripping the side or end rails the patient may gradually work up to a standing position.

From the foregoing specification the operation will become apparent and it will be understood that the invention disclosed will adequately accomplish the functions for which it has been designed and in an economical manner, and that its simplicity, accuracy, and ease of operati-on are such as to provide a relatively inexpensive device, considering what it will accomplish, and that it will find an important place in the art to which it appertains when once placed on the market.

It is thoughtlthat persons skilled in the art to which the invention relates will be able to obtain a clear understanding of the invention after Vconsidering the description in connection with the drawings. Therefore, a more lengthy description is regarded as unnecessary.

Having now described the invention that which is claimed to be new and desired to be procured by Letters Patent, is:

In a therapeutic electrical exerciser, the combination which comprises a horizontally disposed platform, casters mounted on the under surface of the platform, spaced parallel longitudinally positioned rails mounted on the sides of the platform, a cross bar slidably mounted on the rails, a post having a swivel connection therein ex- 'tended upwardly from the cross bar, a seat carried by the post, a block having inclined slots therein mounted on the platform and positioned in front of the seat, a crankshaft having offset sections therein rotatably mounted on the platform, a motor also mounted on the platform and operatively connected to the crankshaft, treadles adjustably connected to the offset sections of the crankshaft and slidably mounted in the inclined slots of the block, said treadles having longitudinally disposed slots therein, shoes adjustably mounted in the slots of the treadles whereby the shoes are adjustable in relation t-o the seat, posts extended upwardly from corners of the end of the platform on which the crankshaft is positioned, rails connecting the posts, and side rails extended from the posts to positions adjacent the seat.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 219,439 Blend Sept. 9, 1879 2,261,355 Flynn Nov. 4, 1941 2,641,249 Broekman June 9, 1953 

